Since the school year will be starting up again, I wanted to offer a bit of information regarding how school programs and private lessons can go hand-in-hand. School-offered strings classes are a GREAT opportunity for kids to try out a new instrument and experience the performing arts! The school districts in the Northern Virginia area have particularly good strings programs. The school string teachers around here are excellent and enthusiastic about music and education.

However, it's helpful for students to have private lessons along with their school classes. As a private string teacher, one-on-one instruction gives me the chance to focus on each student as an individual. I can pinpoint specific areas (such as the bow-hold, vibrato, or shifting) where a student may need help and provide them with exercises or advice to improve. In addition, many students may struggle with learning new music in a group setting and benefit from some one-on-one time going over the music in their lesson.

School programs provide a great starting-off point for students interested in learning a string instrument. Adding private lessons to your child's musical instruction can provide the boost they need to excel, and offer an outlet to work on challenging music and improve his or her technique.